The Not-so-Great Escape - Part Two
“Hmm. Is that all?”
Cadence looked back and forth between Applebloom and Celestia, who had somehow managed to keep a straight face during Applebloom's narration of the events surrounding her breakout. Applejack on the other hoof, was turning various shades of purple and was muttering dire threats and curses into the depths of her hat while Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were lying flat on their backs in hysterics. Even Zecora had cracked a smile and Luna seemed to be surreptitiously taking notes...
“Um, yeah...kind of...until we met up with Scootaloo anyway....”
“Oh? Do tell...ahem...please go on my little pony.”
Applebloom wriggled her hindquarters a little further from the heat that was radiating from her elder sister.
Well...ah met up with Sweetie Bell outside Sweet Apple Acres and...then we headed back into Ponyville.”
“I see. And then what happened?”
------------------
“....An that was when the chickens all woke up. Good gravy, ah thought ah'd never get outta there...”
“Do you think Big Mac knows you got out?”
“Ah don't think so...Ah managed ta get outta that chicken coop real quick before anypony heard 'em. Boy those beaks are sharp...”
Applebloom grimaced at the memory as she filled in Sweetie Bell on her escape. The pair were trotting down the lane in Ponyville towards the other end of town, where they would hopefully find Scootaloo. Sweetie Bell touched Applebloom's shoulder encouragingly with a hoof.
“Well, you didn't get a cutie mark as an escape artist...”
“....Ah got plenty 'a other marks outta that, an' not just on mah flank neither...” mumbled Applebloom sourly.
“...but at least we can go get Scootaloo now. Those Emergency Broadcasters cutie marks are all ours!” Sweetie Bell squeaked excitedly.
Applebloom glanced up at the building they were heading for as it loomed in the dark ahead of them, it's windows showing no light.
“Scootaloo really lives here?”
“I know right? Who'd have thought?” remarked Sweetie Bell, as the unicorn filly trotted forwards towards one of the windows. “Scootaloo! Hey Scootaloo!”
“Shhh!” began Applebloom, but a light suddenly clicked on and Scootaloo's head appeared from an upstairs window.
“Do you ponies know what time it is? If I'm gonna be my totally awesome self tomorrow and impress Rainbow Dash with my sweet moves, I need my sleep!”
“Suit ya boot Scootaloo, we got cutie marks ta get!” called Applebloom
“Cutie Marks huh? Ok, be there in a flash!” Scootaloo disappeared back inside and the light clicked off again.
A few minutes later, Scootaloo had joined the other two crusaders who quickly explained the situation.
“So let me get this straight. Twilight's trapped in a nightmare and we have to deliver a last desperate message against impossible odds to help save her?”
Sweetie Bell put a hoof to her cheek. “Ummm...kind of?...”
“Not sure 'bout that last bit Scootaloo but ah guess that's close enough...” remarked Applebloom.
“I guess that sounds pretty cool...So, where do we start?” asked Scootaloo.
“Well, Time Turner already went into the Everfree ta wake up Zecora an' get her to come into Ponyville, but Princess Luna got a message from Princess Celestia saying she needed ta get Twilight to Canterlot just afterwards...” began Applebloom.
“... I can't believe I missed seeing Princess Luna...” sighed Scootaloo.
“...So Zecora can't be too far from the entrance by now.” pointed out Sweetie Bell.
“Tha's right...” replied Applebloom.
“So if we're gonna catch her when she comes out of the forest, we'd better hurry.” advised Scootaloo. “Come on ponies!”
“Cutie Mark Crusaders...Ho!”
The three fillies high-hoofed and began galloping as fast as their legs could take them towards the shadowy outline of the Everfree Forest.
-----------------
“Anypony see anything yet?” asked Sweetie Bell. The trees and tangled undergrowth of the Everfree towered before the trio, as they marched confidently up the short slope to the beginning of the track that led through the forest.
“Not yet...” replied Scootaloo
“Me neither” added Applebloom.
“Everypony keep your eyes peeled” Scootaloo advised.
“What if Zecora's already passed here?” asked Sweetie Bell. Applebloom shook her head.
“Uh-uh. We'd have seen her fer sure.”
“This is the only road in from Ponyville...” agreed Scootaloo.
“So...now what do we do? Do we go in?” asked Sweetie Bell
“Ah dunno...that did'nt go so well last time...” began Applebloom, but Sweetie Bell's eyes suddenly bulged as she glanced behind them.
“Hide!”
“Huh?”
“Big Macintosh!”
“Quick! Behind here Crusaders!” hissed Scootaloo. The three vanished from sight in an instant, just as the big earth pony trotted up to where they'd been standing and stopped.
“What's he doing?” hissed Sweetie Bell.
“Shhhh!”
“Shhhh!”
The three peeked out through the leaves of a convenient bush they'd hidden in towards Big Macintosh's hulking shape, hidden in the shadow of the overhanging trees which stretched out along the ground from the forest like gnarled claws reaching towards Ponyville.
“What's that he's got there?” whispered Applebloom. “Some kind 'a scroll?”
“Looks like a letter, maybe it's from the Princess...” hissed Scootaloo.
Applebloom pricked up her ears. “Listen, sounds like somepony else's comin this way'”
“Oh no, what if it's Zecora! What do we do?!” whined Sweetie Bell.
From within the forest the sounds of hooves and cart wheels grew gradually closer until the striped form of Zecora emerged, loaded with saddle baskets and hauling her small cart which was piled with bulky-looking sacks.
“Keep down Sweetie Bell!” whispered Scootaloo, quickly pushing her friend's head down out of sight. “Listen...”
The three peeked out towards the path. The rumbling of Zecora's cart had come to a halt, and the two figures were talking in low voices. Big Macintosh was showing Zecora the scroll he was carrying and as the Crusaders strained their ears Zecora's voice became audible.
“What you say sounds severe indeed, but first we must find some herbs I need. Then I will need to make haste from here, for I must get to Twilight soon I fear.”
“Eeyup...”
Zecora wriggled out of her harness and began to rummage in one of the sacks on the cart, her voice becoming somewhat muffled.
“Agrimony, Rose Hips and Yarrow Flower, I should take for their healing power. We must also find Anise and more Hearts' Desire, to try to quell this nightmare's fire.” Zecora re-emerged and faced Big Macintosh with a serious expression.
“We have no time to be lazy; I must speak at once to Daisy. I hope she is not too dour, at being awoken at such an early hour; but if by fortune she has these plants I need, Twilight may yet soon be freed.”
Big Macintosh silently processed the conversation for a moment.
“Eeyup.”
Oblivious to the sideways look Zecora was now giving him, Big Macintosh picked up the harness of the cart and trundled it off towards Ponyville - Zecora following a few paces behind, one eye narrowed in askance.
“I do enjoy strong and silent folk, but he is getting beyond a joke!” the Zebra murmured to herself.
Scootaloo silently tapped her friends' shoulders as Big Macintosh and Zecora drew away, motioning them with a hoof to follow her away from the road and the receding figures on it.
“Guess that's the end of that then...” she commented.
“It's so unfair!” complained Applebloom despondently.
“C'mon Applebloom, it's just a cutie mark” comforted Sweetie Bell. “Though I got to admit, I was kinda looking forward to opening all those red envelopes...”
Scootaloo gave Applebloom a questioning glance, who shrugged her shoulders in confusion. Scootaloo sighed in annoyance.
“C'mon Crusaders, let's head back. No point in anypony standing around here anymore...”
The three slowly walked back towards the road, heading for Ponyville with only Applebloom glancing back towards the dark forest.
-----------------------
“So – you didn't get those...Emergency Broadcaster...cutie marks then?” asked Cadence. The trio all shook their heads.
“Kind of a relief if you ask me...” Spike muttered under his breath.
“But how did we go from there to hiding in Zecora's sack I wonder?” asked Cadence.
Applebloom flinched. “Well...it were like this...
-----------------------
“Well that was a total bust...” complained Scootaloo.
“I guess so. Although I gotta admit, I really have no idea what an Emergency Broadcaster cutie mark would look like anyway...” Sweetie Bell looked over at Applebloom plodding along a couple of paces behind. “What's up with Applebloom?”
“Cutie Mark Failure Syndrome again?” asked Scootaloo, stopping to let Applebloom catch up.
Sweetie Bell shook her head. “It's not like we haven't failed to get our Cutie marks before right?...” the unicorn filly grimaced “...and let's face it, considering how some of our crusades go, I'd say we got off pretty lightly. We didn't even need a bath afterwards.”
“S' not that...” mumbled Applebloom.
“What then?” asked Scootaloo.
Applebloom shifted uncomfortably, keeping her gaze trained at the ground. “I did want ta get mah Cutie mark an' all, but ah was really hoping I'd get it for helpin' Twilight...”
Both of her companions glanced at each other, their expressions wilting.
“The Princesses are going to be able to fix everything though, right Applebloom?...” Sweetie Bell replied.
Applebloom sighed “You guys didn't see her before she left...the way she was cryin' an all? Even Luna was worried...” Applebloom began walking onwards into the streets of Ponyville at a slow pace. “Ah couldn't help but think what Ponyville's 'bin like since she got here...”
“Aside from the constant monster attacks and crazy magic spells?” Scootaloo glanced around at the darkened buildings around them for a moment in thought. ”...yeah...guess you're right about that...” she admitted with a nod. “It wouldn't really be the same without her...”
“She has been pretty nice to us...even though we managed to destroy her library a couple of times and publicly humiliate her in the press... I'd wanna help her too.” Sweetie Bell pouted.
Applebloom flopped down in an unhappy heap on the road, facing her two compatriots.
“Ah just wanted to do somethin', even if it was just a littl' thing, to help everypony get her back.”
The little earth pony groaned, lying her chin on her forehooves. “But now 's all ruined...”
The three sighed in unison, but then Scootaloo shook her head and stamped her hoof determinedly.
“Well I'm not giving up that easily!”
The other two crusaders looked up at her curiously. “Huh?”
Scootaloo flared her wings.
“I'm gonna find another way to help! I'm gonna do whatever it takes to help whether anypony likes it or not, because I'm Twilight's friend too!”
Sweetie Bell and Applebloom glanced at each other as Scootaloo strode up and down in front of them, drill sergeant fashion.
“Someday I'm gonna be as awesome as Rainbow Dash, and Rainbow Dash would never give up on a friend - so I won't give up on Twilight either!”
“Me neither!” agreed Applebloom
“Me too!” added Sweetie Bell.
Scootaloo fluttered her wings to give her a boost as she climbed up on a convenient soap box nearby.
“Fillies we may be but we let nothing stop us from getting our cutie marks, and if Twilight needs her friends the Crusaders are gonna be there for her too, even if we have to go all the way to Canterlot ourselves!” declared Scootaloo.
“We'll climb any mountain!” put in Applebloom.
“Cross any river!” added Sweetie Bell
“We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and do we ever give up?”
“Never!” yelled Sweetie Bell.
“Do we ever leave a friend behind?”
“No way!” shouted Applebloom
“Does Diamond Tiara look cute in a bunny costume?”
“No- Wait, what?” asked Sweetie Bell.
“Then the Crusaders are goin' to Canterlot, and we're not gonna let anything stand between us an' our friend!”
“Cutie Mark Crusaders! Yay!”
As the sound of a three way high-hoof echoed down the street with their cheers, Applebloom looked up and down the street in thought.
“Sooo...any thoughts on how we're gonna get ta Canterlot?”
Scootaloo pawed at her chin with a hoof “Umm...”
“It's not like everypony's just gonna let us walk there right?” commented Sweetie Bell.
Scootaloo's wings wilted as she climbed down from her perch. “I guess so...”
“Everypony's always thinkin' we three can't take care of ourselves or do nothin' on ah own...” Applebloom mumbled in frustration, kicking at the ground crossly as her temper rapidly came to a boil.”Ohh...ah can't stand it anymore!” she screamed, wheeling round and aiming a buck at random.
Most ponies in Ponyville were well used to the concept of cause and effect, especially when it came to three certain fillies. But admittedly nopony - not even the Crusaders - had particulary considered the possibility that the consequence of Applebloom kicking a nearby stone might be said stone flying through the air and landing in a nearby bucket, causing the bucket's extra weight to pull on a rope it was hanging from and upsetting a plank on which a number of heavy bags of cement were stacked.
It certainly would have been a flying leap of logic to predict that said bags would then land heavily on a cart full of fruit produce, which would quickly take off in a shower of fruit juice, accelerate past the trio down the street like a rocket and smash through several supporting structures - causing the three fillies to duck for cover as a number of increasingly heavy objects began to fly through the air - before taking aim straight for a pile of crates clearly marked in big letters Fireworks and Assorted Bowling Balls...
By the time the dust from the ensuing chaos began to settle, lights had appeared in most of Ponyville's surviving windows. And as the bowling ball rain gradually subsided the inhabitants cautiously began to emerge to gape in confusion at the brand new craters and piles of wreckage left in it's wake.
And demand in loud voices to know just what the hay had just happened.
-----------------------
“Have they gone yet?” Sweetie Bell hissed to the others. The Crusaders were lying huddled under the shelter of a large, soot blasted wagon that was still smouldering at the edges.
“What do you think?” Scootaloo hissed back irritably. The three crouched lower as another set of panicked hooves thundered past their hide-out. “It's not like everypony's gonna think they're hearing things and just forget about something like... that... are they?”
“Ah didn't think anypony'd store that much baking soda and lemonade in tha same shed though.” commented Applebloom.
“Fizzy Pop isn't going to be for a while...at least not until somepony brings what's left of his shed down from the top of that cloud.” observed Scootaloo. “The fireworks were kind of awesome though.”
“Except that one time when that rocket went into Mr Brass's lamp oil store...” muttered Sweetie Bell. The three grimaced as memories of the burning rain flashed through their minds.
“Ya know...” Applebloom paused and pressed herself further into the ground as another stampede roared by like a runaway freight train. “...sooner rather than later somepony's gonna notice we're not in ah beds...”
Scootaloo nodded fearfully. “Something tells me we'd better get out of Ponyville fast, 'cause when they do, ponies are gonna start putting two and two together and comin' up with three if you know what I mean...”
“It's like they're all psychic or something...” commented Sweetie Bell drily
The crusaders retreated further under their improvised bunker as the sound of hooves approached and a set of familiar legs passed them by, stopping further down the street. Taking a risk, Sweetie Bell peeped out for a second and then quickly drew back, tapping on Scootaloo and Applebloom's withers.
“Pssst! Girls, look! It's Zecora!”
The three peeked out silently. Sure enough, the Zebra was knocking on the door of a nearby house not ten yards away. The door opened and a pale magenta earth pony with a lime green mane could be seen, and after a hurried conversation Zecora stepped into the house out of sight.
“Think we should make a break for it now?” whispered Scootaloo
“Hold on a sec...” Sweetie Bell was staring at the doorway that Zecora had vanished through. Beside it sat Zecora's cart and a number of sacks that had lately been carried in it. Sweetie Bell grinned.
“Follow me Crusaders...I just got an idea...”
Scootaloo and Applebloom cautiously approached as Sweetie Bell began tugging open one of the bags, revealing a mixture of bottles and herbs inside.
“Er...Sweetie Bell?” asked Scootaloo
“See? We can hide in this on Zecora's cart!” Sweetie Bell whispered excitedly.
Scootaloo blinked “Hey...that's an awesome idea! We'll be in Canterlot before we know it!”
“Wait...what if Zecora looks in the sack when she comes back?” asked Applebloom.
“Easy...watch this!” Sweetie Bell pulled out an empty sack from nearby and began pushing the first sack into it. “I thought of this one time I needed to hide some stuff from Rarity, if you put one sack inside another that looks the same with the top open just right...it'll all look like just one sack and anypony looking in won't notice unless they look hard enough. This one's only partly full, so that means we can hide inside under the original sack and that way nopony will see us!”
Applebloom looked doubtful.
“Is this really gonna work?”
“Sure it will!” began Scootaloo, but then the pegasus stiffened as the sound of hooves approaching from behind the door reached her ears.
“Quick! Everpony inside!”
By the time Zecora opened the door, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were nowhere to be seen, the only things left in the street were the assortment of sacks lined up beside the Zebra's cart. Going up to one, Zecora pulled out an enormous cauldron and began loading various herbs she was carrying into the sack, before picking up another bulky sack beside it and jamming the cauldron into it. With the sacks duly loaded onto the cart, Zecora wriggled into her harness once more before setting off along the road and into the darkness in the direction of Canterlot...
Meanwhile...
“Eeeyup...”
Big Macintosh heaved on a large chunk of debris and dragged it away, revealing a rather scorched and blackened cart which the Crusaders had lately seen hurtling down the street towards a large quantity of explosives. Behind him, an irate Mayor Mare was addressing a sheepish looking colt which was covered in soot from head to tail.
“Honestly Stable Load, Fireworks I can understand – maybe... but bowling balls as well?? Why in Equestria would you want that many bowling balls??”
Mayor Mare rolled her eyes and sighed as Stable Load shrugged in reply, before looking round at the wreckage around them. She would have to have a word with Fizzy Pop about the safe storage of chemicals and to various others regarding leaving property in a position which could cause injury, but it still didn't explain how this had all started...
“Hello? Big Macintosh? Big Macintosh! Dangnabbit, where' ya at youngster?”
Big Macintosh looked round as Granny Smith's creaky voice echoed through the ruins.
“Eeeyup?”
“Young Applebloom's gone! Flew the coop! Ah can't find neither hide nor hair of her on the farm neither!”
Mayor Mare blinked. In the background, she could see two more familiar figures coming towards the little crowd of ponies in front of her - one wearing a battered straw hat and the other with a purple mane done up into a beehive - and both obviously looking for something.
Ah...
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Adding two and two and coming up with three?
lol, I'll have to remember that one.
love the chapter
Awesome chapter. And it's good to hear from you again my friend!
~ Super-Brony12
Oh by Celestia, I need more!
Hey it's not like they did anything wrong, I think this trial is all bogus!
5398287 If it was your baby sister gallavanting around in the middle of the night you may think differently.
Did You Put Chicken Run On The 4th Chapter?
6616539
Maaaaaaybe.... n.n
6955624 Ever tried that with YOUR parents? ^^
6617734
Is this story continuing?
7273911 Hi Justin
This story will be continuing, I've just been very busy keeping up with various events and changes (and my writer's block isn't helping much either!). I also think I need to find another pre - reader if there are any volunteers?
7274744
Sorry, don't know how to go on, unless the crusaders say there have been times where if it wasn't for them things would've turned out ugly and give some examples, then after that they should say they're done.
7274749
Oh this little road trip's just getting started...
I just started to read this story today and I really like what you have so far hope to read more soon
7274801 Hope you finish this soon.
*Shaking head* Oh Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo... When will you silly fillies ever learn?
Seriously hilarious story and amazing writing skill on display here! Please do more with this soon!